Sabres Management will be in the Bills Draft Room at One Bills Drive for the 2025 NHL Draft

[Stads]

As long as they trade the #9 pick for something that helps this year, they can draft from Diggs' party yacht and I won't bat an eye

[kas23]

Nothing burger. What’s it to likely have? A better fax machine? Really, it may have a couple extra phone lines. This isn’t the 90s. People have multiple cell phones now. Maybe a better espresso machine. 

[Wyldnwoody44]

5 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

But his draft picks are pretty good. Ironic, huh? 

His scouts did great work, he gets to make the pick but I am hesitant to give him much credit. 

Even if he did make the picks, he completely neutered those decisions with the rest of his tenure as a GM 

[PromoTheRobot]

37 minutes ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

His scouts did great work, he gets to make the pick but I am hesitant to give him much credit. 

Even if he did make the picks, he completely neutered those decisions with the rest of his tenure as a GM 

And yet you felt the need to invent another flaw that could be easily disproved.

[Wyldnwoody44]

44 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

And yet you felt the need to invent another flaw that could be easily disproved.

A Flaw? Sorry, when you're captain of the ship, you're responsible for the whole of it fair or not....That's like saying the Titanic was great because of the quality of food and the type of wood used on the staircase.... But it still sank. 

The series of decisions made by this man has continued the downward spiral of my favorite franchise. Helenius could turn into Jagr and I wouldn't care if we keep setting new records in missing the playoffs. 

Actions have consequences, unless you're the GM of the Sabres. 

[LabattBlue]

The Sabres have 40 hockey people in the organization?  After KA was hired and proceeded to slash the hockey staff?

[Flashsabre]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6396186/2025/06/02/buffalo-sabres-kevyn-adams-terry-pegula/
 

don’t know if this was posted here or not.

[JohnC]

10 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

And yet you felt the need to invent another flaw that could be easily disproved.

As a GM with a multiplicity of responsibilities, how would you rate him as a GM? I'm not trying to be gratuitously harsh when evaluating him, but I would put him near the bottom, if not the bottom, in the ranking of NHL GMs. The bottom line for every GM comes down to one's record. In that basic grading system he would be classified as a failure. He was ill-equipped when hired and his performance over an extended period of time reflected it. Your search for the kernel of good in the mountain of bad is admirable but a stretch. Your record is your record. Cold hard facts can't be denied even when kind sentiments are inserted into the equation. 

[That Aud Smell]

31 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6396186/2025/06/02/buffalo-sabres-kevyn-adams-terry-pegula/
 

don’t know if this was posted here or not.

is this the article where Adams' masters degree from the University of Phoenix is mentioned?

[Pimlach]

21 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

is this the article where Adams' masters degree from the University of Phoenix is mentioned?

[triumph_communes]

1 hour ago, Flashsabre said:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6396186/2025/06/02/buffalo-sabres-kevyn-adams-terry-pegula/
 

don’t know if this was posted here or not.

Professional brown noser 

[dudacek]

11 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

The Sabres have 40 hockey people in the organization?  After KA was hired and proceeded to slash the hockey staff?

Do people think the Sabres still have a bare-bones hockey department?

Post- COVID it has gradually returned to what I perceived as more or less "normal" NHL levels.

Last time I looked at things, they were still kinda shy in pro scouting but high in player development/coaching, and pretty typical in the front office, analytics and amateur scouting.

The inner circle looks something like this:

• GM: Adams
• Senior advisor: Kekalainen
• Associate GM: Karmanos
• Head coach: Ruff
• VP hockey strategy and research: Ventura (analytics) 
• Assistant GM Forton (scouting)
• Assistant GM Jakubowski (caps/contracts)
• Assistant to the GM: Staal
• Pro scouting: Crowe
• Amateur scouting: Nightingale
• Player development: Mair

I don't think the Sabres website has been updated in a while and this is the movement season in the hockey business, but the team has roughly

• 13 scouts (it's not broken down into pro and amateur)
• 2 analytics engineers
• 4 NHL assistant coaches
• 1 AHL head coach
• 2 AHL assistant coaches
• 3 development coaches
• 2 video coaches
• 1 skating and skills instructor

So that's 39 people. Plus it has a 10-person "performance department" dedicated to the health and fitness of the athletes (strength coach etc).

 

Edited Monday at 03:44 PM by dudacek

[JohnC]

17 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Do people still think the Sabres have a bare-bones hockey department?

Post- COVID it has gradually returned to what I perceived as more or less "normal" NHL levels.

Last time I looked at things, they were still kinda shy in pro scouting but high in player development/coaching, and pretty typical in the front office, analytics and amateur scouting.

The inner circle looks something like this:

• GM: Adams
• Senior advisor: Kekalainen
• Associate GM: Karmanos
• Head coach: Ruff
• VP hockey strategy and research: Ventura (analytics) 
• Assistant GM Forton (scouting)
• Assistant GM Jakubowski (caps/contracts)
• Assistant to the GM: Staal
• Pro scouting: Crowe
• Amateur scouting: Nightingale
• Player development: Mair

I don't think the Sabres website has been updated in a while and this is the movement season in the hockey business, but the team has roughly

• 13 scouts (it's not broken down into pro and amateur)
• 2 analytics engineers
• 4 NHL assistant coaches
• 1 AHL head coach
• 2 AHL assistant coaches
• 3 development coaches
• 2 video coaches
• 1 skating and skills instructor

So that's 39 people. Plus it has a 10-person "performance department" dedicated to the health and fitness of the athletes (strength coach etc).

 

The issue isn't the quantity of staff as much as it is the quality of the top decision makers, including the owner. You can have the best staff in the business but still fail if the top of the top of the operation isn't functioning smartly. 

I understand why the owner went into austerity mode during the covid period. His hockey and hospitality business were hemorrhaging money. So his belt tightening response was understandable. But after that challenging period, his decision-making on staff and hockey decisions have been very inadequate (to put it mildly), to the point of relegating this flailing franchise to being an expected back of the pack franchise by others in the business. This organization has handcuffed itself due to its own foolishness. (I'm not suggesting that you are saying otherwise.) It just so tiresome. On the bright side, the hiring of an experienced person to join the upper staff is encouraging. There needs to be more follow-up. 

[dudacek]

2 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The issue isn't the quantity of staff as much as it is the quality of the top decision makers, including the owner. You can have the best staff in the business but still fail if the top of the top of the operation isn't functioning smartly. 

I understand why the owner went into austerity mode during the covid period. His hockey and hospitality business were hemorrhaging money. So his belt tightening response was understandable. But after that challenging period, his decision-making on staff and hockey decisions have been very inadequate (to put it mildly), to the point of relegating this flailing franchise to being an expected back of the pack franchise by others in the business. This organization has handcuffed itself due to its own foolishness. (I'm not suggesting that you are saying otherwise.) It just so tiresome. On the bright side, the hiring of an experienced person to join the upper staff is encouraging. There needs to be more follow-up. 

I don't think there can be any debate the flaws arise from the top of the pile: an owner who wants a GM to implement the owner's "vision" who has been unable to find a GM who can both do that, and be successful at the same time.

I don't doubt he can find one; just look at Brandon Beane.

But it's not been Kevyn Adams, and it's hard to find hope he will ever figure it out, no matter how many people Terry lets him hire.

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

I don't think there can be any debate the flaws arise from the top of the pile: an owner who wants a GM to implement the owner's "vision" who has been unable to find a GM who can both do that, and be successful at the same time.

I don't doubt he can find one; just look at Brandon Beane.

But it's not been Kevyn Adams, and it's hard to find hope he will ever figure it out, no matter how many people Terry lets him hire.

The issue then becomes, how much influence does the new staffer have, especially compared to KA. My suspicions are that he may have more authority.( Just my personal opinion.)

[PromoTheRobot]

15 hours ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

A Flaw? Sorry, when you're captain of the ship, you're responsible for the whole of it fair or not....That's like saying the Titanic was great because of the quality of food and the type of wood used on the staircase.... But it still sank. 

The series of decisions made by this man has continued the downward spiral of my favorite franchise. Helenius could turn into Jagr and I wouldn't care if we keep setting new records in missing the playoffs. 

Actions have consequences, unless you're the GM of the Sabres. 

It's hilarious how you're backtracking. First you said Adams was incompetent at drafting. Now you're saying it doesn't matter if he is competent at that one thing. Why do you feel compelled to make up stuff? Do you feel that because he's been a disappointment at his job you can just lie about whatever?

Edited Monday at 06:26 PM by PromoTheRobot

[PromoTheRobot]

5 hours ago, JohnC said:

As a GM with a multiplicity of responsibilities, how would you rate him as a GM? I'm not trying to be gratuitously harsh when evaluating him, but I would put him near the bottom, if not the bottom, in the ranking of NHL GMs. The bottom line for every GM comes down to one's record. In that basic grading system he would be classified as a failure. He was ill-equipped when hired and his performance over an extended period of time reflected it. Your search for the kernel of good in the mountain of bad is admirable but a stretch. Your record is your record. Cold hard facts can't be denied even when kind sentiments are inserted into the equation. 

He's been a disappointment for sure. But I don't see the need to lie about the job he's doing. In my opinion he drafts well, he tries to make deals but is stymied by NMCs. He still manages to make some deals. None are blockbusters but he's made some good moves like adding Zucker and trading for Byrum and McLeod. But players still have to play. And when someone complains about a losing culture, who's doing the losing?

[PromoTheRobot]

17 hours ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

His scouts did great work, he gets to make the pick but I am hesitant to give him much credit. 

Even if he did make the picks, he completely neutered those decisions with the rest of his tenure as a GM 

Because it would force you to say something good about Adams. The horror.

[JohnC]

8 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

He's been a disappointment for sure. But I don't see the need to lie about the job he's doing. In my opinion he drafts well, he tries to make deals but is stymied by NMCs. He still manages to make some deals. None are blockbusters but he's made some good moves like adding Zucker and trading for Byrum and McLeod. But players still have to play. And when someone complains about a losing culture, who's doing the losing?

I'm not in the camp that everything he has done is wrong. That would be an unfair evaluation. However, I am in the camp that as a GM is not good enough. To be blunt: Your record is your record. And that's what he owns and can't hide from. 

[JP51]

No this doesnt make me have faith that we will do a good job drafting nor make the team markedly better... but i do like the idea of using the resources available to aid a process....  I can only imagine how crazy things are on draft days, draft boards, watching other teams boards seeing who they may take, talking trades, reprioritizing players, etc... all with a time deadline anything they can do to ease communication obstacles etc I am sure would be welcomed in the draft room...  costs them nothing... solid move even if it is just to give them a bit more sanity on draft day. 

[JP51]

20 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Yes, I know all of Adams flaws. But that comment about him not being able to draft a Mario Lemieux with 10 picks was just a forced dumb thing to say. 

Whats funny is that we even need to say that...   things are that bad that the most obvious dripping sarcasm from the original poster on any other board would get a laugh lol... but here... we actually contemplate if they were serious or not... I mean if you think about it, that is actually saying something LOL... 

[PromoTheRobot]

10 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm not in the camp that everything he has done is wrong. That would be an unfair evaluation. However, I am in the camp that as a GM is not good enough. To be blunt: Your record is your record. And that's what he owns and can't hide from. 

We are on the same page. But you have to admit there is a tendency to create narratives and treat them like gospel. Here's an example: This morning on WGR Jeremy & Joe said several times Jarmo Kekäläinen's job was to "push Adams into making moves." But they never cited a single instance Adams got cold feet in a trade negotiation. And even that gets dicey because you don't know what was being offered. Is it "cold feet" to not make a bad trade? 

[PromoTheRobot]

5 minutes ago, JP51 said:

Whats funny is that we even need to say that...   things are that bad that the most obvious dripping sarcasm from the original poster on any other board would get a laugh lol... but here... we actually contemplate if they were serious or not... I mean if you think about it, that is actually saying something LOL... 

What it says is when you lose a lot, it's open season on your a**. No one is going to fact-check.

Edited Monday at 07:01 PM by PromoTheRobot

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

We are on the same page. But you have to admit there is a tendency to create narratives and treat them like gospel. Here's an example: This morning on WGR Jeremy & Joe said several times Jarmo Kekäläinen's job was to "push Adams into making moves." But they never cited a single instance Adams got cold feet in a trade negotiation. And even that gets dicey because you don't know what was being offered. Is it "cold feet" to not make a bad trade? 

You shouldn’t be surprised that small successes get overshadowed by one’s overall record. The fans are less tolerant and patient with this franchise and staff after a generation of failing and an owner who is incommunicado. The fans are fed up as I am.

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

We are on the same page. But you have to admit there is a tendency to create narratives and treat them like gospel. Here's an example: This morning on WGR Jeremy & Joe said several times Jarmo Kekäläinen's job was to "push Adams into making moves." But they never cited a single instance Adams got cold feet in a trade negotiation. And even that gets dicey because you don't know what was being offered. Is it "cold feet" to not make a bad trade? 

Yea and Paul Hamilton was on there today lamenting how Buffalo rushes all their prospects to the NHL... like Power who went back to college or Kulich who spent 2yrs in the AHL just like Peterka and Quinn. They love stating ideas as facts. Usually the morning show is a bit better. 

Note: I understand it's talk radio so I get it's all this.